


Fight For You

by hubdub15



Series: Into the Inferno [1]
Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, Children of Characters, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, F/M, Relationship Problems, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22813438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hubdub15/pseuds/hubdub15
Summary: Tora has been sent to prison, and Poppy is trying her best to stay positive. But will that be possible with more than just bars keeping them apart?This is an AU of the one-shot collection I'm currently working on for MPL. This will not happen in that story, but I got the idea in a FB chat and couldn't get it out of my head.Story length may change depending on how it flushes out.
Relationships: Poppy/Tora
Series: Into the Inferno [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904710
Comments: 38
Kudos: 118





	1. Better Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the MPL Patreon Facebook Chat for giving me this idea. Also no thank you, because I'm a big baby and cried while writing this. 
> 
> Please don't hate me. I promise it's going to get better.

“Joseph, I told you not to take your shoes off.”

“They’re too hot, Mommy.”

“You said wanted to wear your snow boots today.”

“Too hot.” He insisted. 

Poppy looked in the rear-view mirror as parked in the lot outside the prison, smiling when she saw Joseph has decided to put his boots on his hands instead. “Boot Hand Man.” Joseph whispered, his eyes going wide. 

“Be careful, those boots might get stuck on your hands for good.” Joseph quickly pulled the boots off at his mother’s words and tossed them on the floor of the car. “Does the world’s newest superhero want to put on his sandals?”

Poppy fished around in her purse and pulled out a pair of sandals for Joseph, in the event when Joseph would regret his choice of boots on a summer’s day. She walked around to his side of the car and opened the door to help him put them on, then unbuckled him from his booster seat. 

“Why do you have Nyla’s pacifier?” She questioned when she saw it in his hand. 

“She threw it at me and I can’t reach to give it back.” Poppy took it from him and put it in her pocket. 

“Don’t run off yet.” She ordered as they walked back around to the other side to get his baby sister from her car seat. Poppy unhooked the carrier from the base and took Joseph’s hand again, holding it tightly as they walked into the visitor’s entrance of the prison. 

She signed all their names in the ledger and waited patiently as the guard went through Nyla’s diaper bag, then patted down all three of them, including the baby, searching for any illegal items that could be smuggled in. Poppy tried to be as patient with the guards as possible. Sometimes, it felt like they took longer just to spite the visitors so they couldn’t see their loved ones. But she knew most of them were just trying to do their jobs. 

Once they finally made it past the security checkpoint, the guard who normally walked them back, Koji, appeared and nodded politely to Poppy. She managed a smile back and followed him back to one of the private visitation rooms, one of the only perks of Tora being a high-ranking clan member in prison. It was set up for families, with a few toys for children in addition to the stark metal table where Poppy and Tora were forced to sit on opposite sides, only allowed to hold hands except for a chaste kiss and hug at the beginning and end of every visit. _At least he’s allowed to hold the kids._

“I’ll go get Noyouko now. Don’t leave the room.” He told them all, closing and locking the door behind behind them. 

Poppy took the time to settle Joseph and Nyla, setting the two up with some toys as they waited for the guard to return with Tora. She couldn’t help but pace from nervous energy. She was worried every week that something would go wrong and they wouldn’t be able to see him. There had been several times Poppy would have to sit in the lobby, holding Joseph as he cried because ‘they wouldn’t let him see Daddy’ while holding back tears herself. She knew that if they couldn’t see Tora this weekend, right before Joseph’s birthday, he might lose it. 

Poppy perked up when she heard a pair of footsteps coming back towards the doorway. She sat on her side of the table, hands palms down on the surface as the speakers in the room crackled to life. 

“Hands on the table and visible, Mrs. Noyouko. Do not move until the door has locked behind me again.” The guard’s voice announced before she heard the beep of the access pad outside the door, followed by the lock clicking open.

“Stay still until the guard leaves again, Joseph.” Poppy told him. The little boy nodded and stood from his spot and bounced with excitement as the door finally opened and Tora stepped into the room, followed closely by Koji who was pushing him forward by the belly chain around his waist. Poppy’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of her husband. Even though they had just seen each other exactly seven days before, she still missed him with every fibre of his body. She did a quick once-over of his physical appearance, trying to notice any scrapes or bruises that hadn’t been there last week. She found none. Tora had told her before that most men knew who he was, and what exactly he did for Mr. Balthuman. They didn’t dare cross him. Poppy took a little consolation in that fact. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about her husband getting caught up in a fight. He certainly wouldn’t start one, for fear of getting visitation privileges revoked, and the other men at the prison wouldn’t dare start a fight with the Balthuman leader’s attack dog. 

Once they were inside the room, Koji closed the door behind them and flashed his badge over a spot on the wall, which activated the door’s locking mechanism from the inside. Tora turned to Koji when the door finally locked and glared at him while he methodically removed the cuffs and his belly chain. Once they were finally removed, Tora rubbed his wrists and Koji nodded at Poppy to allow her forward. Poppy got up quickly and ran into Tora’s waiting arms, hugging him around his neck. She felt Tora’s arms wrap around her waist and squeeze, almost uncomfortably so, but Poppy would be close to him in any way she could. She pulled back and kissed him deeply, tangling her fingers in his hair. She smiled against his lips as his hand gripped her hip and pulled her closer to his hard body. He’d obviously had more time to work out, his muscles seemed bigger and harder than when he first was sent to prison, if that were possible.

The guard cleared his throat as the kiss went on just a moment too long. Poppy was the one to pull back, resting her forehead against Tora’s for a second longer before stepping away. His fingers lingered on her arm, making Poppy feel warmth down to her toes. _I need this man. Now. One kiss isn’t enough._

“At the table, Noyouko.” Koji ordered. Tora walked over to the table and settled down, looking over his shoulder and winking at Joseph, who smiled brightly at his father. He took a step forward but stopped when Poppy held up a hand and shook her head. They didn’t need to give the guards a reason to end their visit early. Koji finally left the room and locked the door behind him.

“Daddy!” Joseph finally grew impatient and launched himself into Tora’s arms, wrapping his arms tightly around Tora’s neck. Tora hugged him back fiercely and blew a raspberry into his neck, causing Joseph to shriek in laughter. He climbed into Tora’s lap and bounced excitedly. 

“Daddy, look at the car Aunt Erdene got me for my birthday.” Joseph pulled the toy car out of his pocket and placed it in Tora’s hand. “She gave it to me early so I could show you. Mommy says I can’t play with it around Nyla because she could eat it.”

“That’s really cool, bud.” Tora handed it back to him. “Ya tell her thank you?”

Poppy still had to resist the urge to laugh at Tora, the King of Rude, trying to teach their son manners. “Just because I was a punk growing up doesn’t mean my kid is gonna be.” He told Poppy after he had made Joseph go apologize to a boy on the playground he had pushed over accidentally. Poppy’s smile faded slightly at the memory. She knew how much he loved being a dad, and now because of some stupid clan dispute, he was in here instead of at home with them. 

Joseph nodded and pushed the car across the table’s surface. “Are you coming to my party, Daddy?”

Poppy watched at Tora’s face fell just a fraction, not enough for Joseph to notice, but it was more than enough for her. She nodded at him as he looked across the table at Poppy for help.It was just the way things were for now. It wasn’t the perfect situation, but they made do with what they had. “Not this time. Maybe next year.” Tora brushed some hair away from Joseph’s face and gave him a smile. Joseph frowned and focused back on his toy car, pushing it over the table less enthusiastically than before.

“That’s what you said last year.” Joseph murmured. 

“We’ll bring cake and celebrate with Daddy next weekend, okay?” Poppy tried to sound as upbeat as she could to salvage the situation. If they spoke too much about what Tora was missing on the outside, Tora would just get upset, and the visit would get thrown off-course. They had to make the most out of their time together. This six hours was the only time out of the entire week that the kids got to see him. They didn’t need to see their dad grumpy. 

Tora looked behind him at Nyla, who was still playing on the floor with her various toys. She looked up when both adults looked at her and flashed a toothless grin at Tora. Without him needing to ask, Poppy stood from her seat and picked up Nyla, bringing her over to Tora so he could hold her, since he wasn’t allowed to leave his seat. Joseph got off Tora’s lap and went back over to the rug in the corner of the room to continue playing, allowing Tora some one-on-one time with Nyla without juggling both kids in his arms. He kissed Nyla softly on her forehead and smiled when she patted his face and pulled at a strand of hair that had fallen into his eyes. 

“She’s getting bigger.” Tora commented.

“She’s no bigger than she was last week.” Poppy rolled her eyes. 

“I dunno.” Tora bounced her up and down as if he were guessing her weight, making Nyla giggle. “Feels heavier to me.”

“Are you calling our daughter fat?” Poppy smiled. 

“Just plump.” Tora smiled back. “How was the doctor?”

“Fine, she’s in the 80th percentile, so she’s making good improvement.” Poppy relayed. “The doctor said we can stop giving her that nutrient-enriched formula, since she’s eating baby food now.”

“That’s good.” Tora nodded and looked down at Nyla. “You’re finally bulking up.” 

“Did you apply for a conjugal visit?” 

Poppy swore she felt the temperature in the room drop as she finally asked the question that had been on her mind for the entire week. Tora kept his gaze focused on Nyla, who was now playing with the collar of Tora’s prison shirt. “No.”

Poppy felt the blood drain from her face. “What?” It was the only word she could get out. They had already talked about applying for the visit, so they could at least have a night to themselves without having a guard or cameras watching them. Poppy would have applied herself, if she could, but it had to be Tora. They had only had one other conjugal visit in the almost two years he had been in here, and that was towards the beginning, when she was still pregnant with Nyla. Why did he not want the visit? She had missed him so much. She fought every day to try to get him out, and now he didn’t want them to be together?

“You shouldn’t be in here, Poppy. None of you should.” Tora looked up and pierced Poppy with his golden stare. “I don’t want ya to wait around on me. I don’t know when I’m getting out.” 

“What are you saying?” Poppy whispered. “You have three years left of your sentence. The attorney said you could get out early for good behavior. Mr. Balthuman is working on getting the trial thrown out completely. I spoke with Lane, she said they’re already selecting your parole officer.”

Tora didn’t break her stare, completely ignoring her words. “You and the kids are better off without a mobster for a husband and father. You’re wasting your weekends driving all the way here, just to spend all your time in a visiting room where we’re not allowed to touch. I can’t even touch the kids without them thinking it’s because I’m trying to smuggle something.” He looked back down at Nyla, now sleeping comfortably in her father’s arms. “I can’t give ya what you need. I never could. You deserve a normal life. Not this.”

“I want _you_.” Poppy hissed. “I don’t care about what you think the kids or I deserve. We need you.”

“I’m trying to do what’s best for ya.” He frowned. 

“No, you’re giving up.” Poppy’s voice was rising. “Two years, I’ve never given up on you, and now you’re trying to throw all of this away, everything we built, on some crap reason. Do you think it’s going to be any easier if you leave us? Everyone knows I’m your wife, and about your affiliation with the Balthuman organization. It doesn’t matter what you do because no matter what, I’m a part of this now too. There’s nothing you can do to change that.” 

“Poppy—

“Don’t Poppy me.” Poppy interjected. “You are not abandoning our family. I won’t let you.”

“Haven’t I already done that?” He shot back. “Can’t really parent from behind bars. Just making it official now and trying to get you to realize it.”

She turned away from him and wiped roughly at the tears that had started to fall. She refused to cry in front of him, not like this, when there was a metal table between them and a guard two rooms away watching them over a camera feed. They could use that against Tora, try to twist it so they could deny his visitation rights. “I can’t even look at you right now.” She whispered. 

She felt the tips of his fingers try to brush against her hand on the table, but she quickly pulled it away and hugged her arms to her chest, suppressing a sob from escaping her lips while she stood. Whatever consolation he was trying to offer right now, she didn’t want it. He was being crazy, thinking she would give up on them so easily. On him. 

“Guard!” Poppy’s voice cracked as she yelled. She reached over the table and took Nyla from Tora’s arms. The baby squawked at being awoken and turned back towards Tora, reaching toward him with a whimper. Poppy turned Nyla around to break her gaze from Tora and faced the door, waiting for Koji to come back in. When he finally did, he looked at the two of them with a small frown. 

“You still have over five hours left, Mrs. Noyouko.” He informed her. 

“We’re leaving now.” Poppy hugged Nyla closer to her chest. “Say goodbye to Daddy, Joseph.”

Joseph looked up from playing with his race car on the floor, frowning at her. “But we just got here.”

“We have to go home.” Poppy said, her voice shaking. “Now say goodbye.”

She knew she was overreacting. She knew she should sit back down and face him, try to force him to explain why out of the blue he was talking about her forgetting him and moving on with her life, after everything they had been through. But right now, the pain in her chest at his words was too much. And this outburst just convinced her she needed to work twice as hard to get Tora out. She couldn’t do that sitting at a table talking nonsense with him.

Joseph stood reluctantly and walked over to Tora, giving him a tight hug. “Bye, Daddy. I love you.”

Poppy bit her lip as she watched Tora put a hand on the back of Joseph’s head and an arm around his waist, hugging him to his chest. “I love you too, little man. Take care of your mother for me.” His eyes met Poppy’s over Joseph’s shoulder. She only stared back at him, trying to remain emotionless until she got out of the room. She would not break down here. 

Joseph stepped back when Tora released him and nodded seriously, a determined look on his face. He gave Tora one last wave and returned to Poppy’s side to take her waiting hand. 

“Mrs. Noyouko?” The guard looked at her, waiting for her to go over and give Tora a departing hug. They tried to make the quick two-second hug and kiss they were allowed at the beginning and end of each visit worthwhile. It was common the guard had to order them to step away from each other, or else the visit would end entirely. 

Poppy stared at Tora for a moment more, then looked back to the guard. She turned her back to the room and faced the door. “I’m ready to go.”

“Poppy, wait.” She heard the scrape of metal on tile as Tora began to stand from the bench. Was he going to take back what he said? Deep down, Poppy knew that wouldn’t happen. Tora was set on this ridiculous plan. Whatever more he had to say, it was only going to be to convince her of it. She refused to listen to it for a second more. 

“Sit down, Noyouko. Hands flat on the table. You know the drill.” The guard ordered. “After you, Mrs. Noyouko."

“Sweetheart, please.” He called as they walked from the visitation room. “ _Poppy_!”

For the first time, Poppy didn’t look back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm currently working on the second chapter right now. It's about halfway done, so hopefully it will be up by Friday/Saturday. 
> 
> Thank you to Annie J for helping me with Tora's last name!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Until next time~


	2. White Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note before you start reading-There's smut in this chapter, and I don't normally write smut. If any of it sounds off, I'll gladly take constructive criticism.

Poppy and Tora stood in one of the courthouse’s meeting rooms, enjoying a quiet moment to themselves before court was called back into session for Tora’s sentencing. Rather, Tora was, leaning up against the large conference table in the room. Poppy was pacing back and forth, unable to stay still while they waited. 

“What are you worried about?” Tora asked her. 

“You could go to prison, Tora, that’s what I’m worried about.” Poppy shot back. “How are you so calm about this?”

“It’s a misdemeanor. The judge will probably order I pay a fine. Worst case scenario they keep me on home detention. But that just means we don’t have to pay for daycare.” He smirked. 

Poppy kept staring at him with those honey-brown eyes, not even cracking a smile at his joke. “The attorney said the maximum sentence is five years in prison.” 

He didn’t want to remind her that he had been to prison before, and that being a mobster meant it was almost certain he would do time at one point or another. It was a reality he lived with his entire life, but it was new for Poppy. And different now for the both of them, with their son Joseph now a factor. The little boy was being watched by Alice while his parents were in court, probably already learning the difference between poker hands at this point. Tora hadn’t been threatened with doing time since before he and Poppy had gotten together almost six years before. He didn’t want to be taken away from his family, but if he did, it wouldn’t be for long. The devil worked hard, but Smithy worked harder when it came to getting the high-ranking members of the Batlthuman organization out as soon as they were put in.

“I won’t let that happen.” Tora stepped forward and grabbed Poppy’s arm to stop her pacing. She looked down at his hand, her shoulders slumping when she stopped moving as if her air had been let out. 

“I can’t lose you, Tora.” She whispered. 

“You’re not gonna lose me.” Tora assured her. “Balthuman’s got the DA in his pocket. He won’t let me go to prison. He needs someone to do his dirty work.”

“But what if—

Tora placed his hand over Poppy’s mouth to silence her, just like she had done so many times to him. The look of indignation in her eyes made Tora grin. He pulled her closer until they were chest to chest. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and felt her relax into his embrace, a small sigh escaping her lips. He kissed her forehead and tucked her head underneath his chin as she rested her head against his chest. “Stop worrying. Everything’s gonna be fine.” 

“How do you know?” Poppy’s voice was muffled with her face buried in Tora’s chest.

“I don’t.” Tora grasped Popppy’s shoulders and pulled her back. His confidence almost wavered at the fear in Poppy’s eyes. _Damn it, quit looking at me like that, else I won’t be able to keep lying for both our sakes_. He bent down and kissed her gently, hoping it would help take her mind off their situation, at least for a little while. 

Poppy whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him and deepening their kiss. Her hands went to his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, letting it fall on the table behind them. Tora’s breath grew heavy as she began unbuttoning his shirt, trailing her fingers over his abs, making his muscles jump at her feather-light touches. She gripped the collar of his shirt and pulled it off as well.

“What’re you doing, sweetheart?” Tora managed to choke out as she broke their kiss and kissed up his jaw to his ear. Poppy was shy and not huge fan of sex in public places when there was a risk of someone walking in on public places. He thought here, where anyone could walk in and there were people walking up and down the hallway constantly.

“I need you.” She whispered headily in his ear. Tora’s eyes almost rolled back in his head as Poppy reached down and palmed him through his slacks, stroking up and down his length. 

“Fuckin’ shit, Bobby. Here?”

“Why not? The door is locked.” She asked, pulling back to look at him with wide eyes before learning in and biting his neck gently, soothing the mark with her tongue while her hands freed his belt buckle and pulled it from his pants, throwing it across the room with a soft _clink_. With the belt out of the way, Poppy undid his slacks and gripped his shaft firmly, swiping her thumb over his weeping head and pumping softly. Tora groaned at the feeling of Poppy’s soft hand working him. He grabbed her roughly and slammed her lips back to his, groping her ass and dragging her up his frame until her legs were wrapped around his waist.He turned them around and laid her down on the table, spread before him and ripe for the taking. “You’re evil.” He growled.

Poppy smiled against his lips and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Tora tasted the strawberry soda she had chugged just before they had been escorted back to their waiting room, almost sickeningly sweet, but Tora delved deeper trying to get another taste. Poppy broke away with a moan as Tora reached between them and pushed two fingers inside her, pumping in and out quickly to bring her to orgasm. He was going to be rough and wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself too. A small part in the back of his mind told him that this may be the last time in a long time they would be together like this. He pushed that thought out of head. This was not the time to be thinking about something like that. Right now, the woman moaning beneath him was his number-one priority. She always was. 

Tora used his free hand to pull the front of her dress open, revealing a lacy bra that was struggling to support her breasts. Tora bent over and pulled the fabric down with his teeth. Poppy shuddered beneath him at the new sensation and cried out when he latched onto one of her breasts, sucking and licking her nipple of one as his free hand kneaded the other, all while his fingers had never stopped moving in and out of her tight hole. The added stimulation of his mouth finally sent Poppy over the edge. She cried out and her muscles seized around his fingers, fluids flowing down his hand as she orgasmed. Her eyes followed him as he brought his fingers up to his lips and sucked them clean. Tora’s cock twitched as Poppy licked her lips while she watched him.

“Tora, please.” Poppy begged, her voice hoarse with desire. She wiggled her hips towards the edge of the table and spread her legs wider, ready for him. 

Tora didn’t waste another second. He thrust into her and began his relentless pace. Their skin slapped together with each snap of Tora’s hips as Poppy gasped when he continually hit deep inside her snatch. Her breasts bounced with the impact of his thrusts, driving him wild. He grabbed Poppy’s hands from around his neck and pinned them above her head so he could lean down and continue sucking and lapping at her nipples. 

“Tora!” Poppy’s body rocked with another orgasm. Her muscles clenched around him, making Tora’s rhythm falter. He felt the tight twist in the bottom of his stomach and knew he wouldn’t last long. Scooping Poppy up in his arms, he supported her in a sitting position and rested his forehead against hers. Their skin stuck together from the thin sheen of sweat covering them. Poppy’s eyes were closed, too lost in pleasure to keep them open. 

“Look at me.” He growled. Poppy opened her bleary eyes to slits, focusing on Tora after a few seconds. He gave a few last desperate thrusts before he shot himself inside of her, shuddering with the force of his release. 

The scent of sex filled the room as they both struggled to catch their breaths. Tora kissed Poppy’s cheek gently when he pulled out of her. He started to step away to find something to help clean the both of them up, but Poppy’s arms tightened around his shoulders. 

“Hold me.” Tora relented and wrapped his arms back around Poppy. She buried her face in his neck, breathing deeply. He felt her shaking in his arms, her breath starting to come out in small gasps. Any other time, he would guess she was just coming down off her climax, but he knew this was something different. 

“Sweetheart?” He ran his fingers through her hair, trailing them down her back.

“I’m scared.” Poppy admitted in a whisper. 

Before Tora could answer, a loud knock sounded from the door. 

“Tora?” Smithy’s voice called through the wood. “They’re about to call court back into session. We should go back in.”

“I’m comin’.” Tora pulled away from Poppy and brushed her hair back from her face. “It’ll work out.” He murmured to her. 

Poppy looked up at him with wide eyes. He knew she didn’t believe him. It wasn’t the first time he had told her a lie, but he did know it wouldn’t be the last. He was usually the realist in the relationship, but this situation was new for Poppy. She’d never had to deal with the threat of prison. Right now, she needed white lies. 

She nodded anyway, giving him a lingering kiss that almost felt better than the sex they just had. “I love you.”

* * *

Tora woke up to a loud banging against the bars of his cell door. _That fuckin’ dream again. As if I hadn’t already been in a shit mood all week_. He looked up from his bed to see that guard, Koji, standing behind the door frowning at him. “Get up, Noyouko, hands on the wall.”

Tora rolled his eyes and laid his head back down.“The fuck is this?” He questioned.

“You have visitors.” 

_Poppy?_ Tora rose from the bed and put his hands against the flat expanse of wall next to his bed. He hoped it was his wife. He knew he said some horrible shit to her on their last visit, he had to apologize. Or at least explain himself. He listened as Koji opened the door to his cell and entered, coming up to Tora and reaching around him to cuff both of his hands. 

“Visiting hours don’t start until noon.” Tora frowned. 

“Guess having friends in low places pays off sometimes.” Koji finished restraining him as he attached Tora’s cuffs to his belly chain, then took him by the elbow to lead him out of his cell. 

Did Poppy ask Balthuman for a favor? Tora had warned her before not to get any more involved with the clan leader than she needed to, or already was. Him even knowing Poppy’s name was too much for Tora, but he couldn’t avoid that, since Quincey and Poppy dated before her and Tora. Poppy shouldn’t be owing him any favors. He didn’t care how long he would have to stay in here, if it meant keeping her away from Balthuman as much as possible, he didn’t want her doing shit to get him out. 

They walked down the stark halls of the prison, going through several security checkpoints. Tora had been lucky enough to be placed in a medium-security prison, not deemed enough of a risk this time for such a minor offense compared to past crimes. That meant he could still have visitors that weren’t just Smithy. He couldn’t call the outside like they could at low-level prisons, but he still had some contact with outside. He’d have probably broken out by now if he hadn’t been able to see his family. 

When they finally reached the visitation room, Tora quickly scanned its occupants through the glass as Koji opened the door. Poppy was not sitting at the table. Instead, Quincey saton the bench with Nyla in his arms, looking thoroughly uncomfortable. He wasn’t a huge baby fan, or a fan of anything that would ruin his hair or clothing, which Nyla seemed to take glee in. The door opened and Quincey looked at the door with a smile. He stood to greet him with a hug once his cuffs were off, setting Nyla on the table to walk over.

“Not on the table, Quince. She could fall off.” Tora frowned. 

“How was I supposed to know? I thought babies stayed still.” Quincey quickly picked the little girl up and gave Tora a one-armed hug. He immediately handed Nyla over to Tora, not wanting to hold the baby any longer than necessary. Tora took his required place at the table and wrapped his free arm around Joseph when his son ran up to give him a hug, then went back to his spot on the floor where he had been reading. He looked around the room one more time as if that was going to make Poppy appear out of thin air. 

“I had the old man pull some strings to get you longer visitation today, since it was cut short last time.” Quincey brought Tora’s attention back to him. “I tried to push it and see if we could actually leave for a little bit, but that was shut down pretty quick.”

“Where is she?” Tora asked, one thing on his mind.

Quincey didn’t meet his eyes. “She’s not feeling well. She asked me to bring the kids down so they could see you.”

“Bullshit.”

“Bad word, Daddy.” Joseph called from the floor. 

“She sent these along too.” Quincy pulled a bakery box out of the bag at his side and set it on the table. “For Joseph’s birthday.”

“Mommy packed a little rhubarb pie for you because you don’t like cake.” Joseph climbed up on Tora’s lap and took a cupcake from the box, taking a big bite out of it. 

“Not so fast. You’re gonna make yourself sick.” Tora warned him. 

Joseph nodded and settled against Tora’s chest. He smoothed down some of his son’s unruly black hair and kissed the side of his head before focusing back on Quincey. 

“What the hell happened, Tora?” Quincey asked. “Poppy came back after your visit last week crying her eyes out. She wouldn’t talk to me or Erdene. She’s been crying on and off all week.” His face paled. “Did your sentence get extended?”

Tora sighed and raked his free hand through his hair. As soon as he saw Quincey, he knew this was going to come up. That diva had to know everything. “I’m a fuckin’ idiot.”

“Daddy!”

“Well, that’s obvious, but what are you referring to?” Quincy smirked. 

Tora picked Joseph up with one arm and set him back on the ground. He did the same with Nyla, allowing her to crawl after her brother. “Go and play.” He ordered. He didn’t need to give his kids a front row seat to what they were saying. “I told Poppy to forget about me and leave me here.”

“Why the hell would you do that?” Quincy demanded. 

"I thought it would be better than having her waste her time on me while I’m in here. She shouldn’t have to go through this shit, Quince. She wasn’t built for this."

“You are a fucking idiot.” Quincey agreed. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to make her believe you and do what you say. I’m sure my old man would help her, he didn’t want you two together in the first place. He’s already suggested divorce once.”

Tora froze. “What?”

Quincy continued like nothing was wrong. “He’s made allusions to it at the family dinners he insists she attend, ever since you were sent here. He’s using the situation to his own advantage. Poppy’s not taking anything to heart. She loves you, for some weird reason.”

“Poppy’s going to that shit?” Tora clenched his jaw in an effort to stay calm. He told her before he didn’t want her going to Balthuman’s at all, and if she ever had to, to never go without him. Why was she there now, having dinner with Boss Balthuman when he warned her not to? If Tora wasn’t out by now, there was nothing that man could do to get him out any sooner. It was up to the courts. Poppy didn’t need to try to butter him up to get his help. 

“I don’t think Poppy has a choice.” Quincey explained. “He showed up at your house one day to invite her personally. He told her he felt it was his job to look out for her and the kids, with you being in prison. She’s tried to get out of it a few times, but he won’t take no for an answer.” 

“Why the fuck did you not tell me about this before?” Tora knew he couldn’t hit Quincey with the guard on the camera watching, but he wanted to. That fuckin’ guard was the only reason Tora was still in his seat instead of having Quincey pinned to the wall behind him. 

“Daddy, you’re up to a dollar.” Joseph announced. “You said four bad words.” 

“I didn’t—

“Think before you finish that sentence, Quincey.” Tora held up a hand. “Because I think I told you when I first was sent to this shithole that I didn’t want Poppy anywhere near the clan, just like I’ve been trying to do for the past six fuckin’ years. Now you’re telling me that she’s been going to family dinners every week for two fuckin’ years, and that your old man is trying to manipulate her into divorcing me.”

“Didn’t _you_ tell her to leave you?” Quincey frowned. “Or have you realized that’s a dumb-ass decision?”

“I didn’t mean what I said. I was being a goddamn pussy. I don’t want Poppy wasting all her time on me, but I can’t live without her. I don’t know what I was saying, but I fucked up. Now she probably hates me.” Tora turned around and handed Joseph two dollars from the pocket of his jumpsuit. “She didn’t come today. I think that’s a pretty good indicator.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them watching the kids play. Tora didn’t know how he was going to fix this. He and Poppy hadn’t had a fight like this in years. Usually, he could have weaseled his way back into her good graces using his ‘manly charms’, as she called them, but he couldn’t do that when she was almost fifty miles away, and he was in here. He just needed to see her. Maybe she would listen to him if he just tried to explain, not that he’s good at explaining himself anyway. 

“She’s at the DA’s office today.” Tora’s head shot up again at Quincey’s words. “She didn’t want me to tell you because she knew you would tell her not to go. She goes at least twice a month, trying to get a meeting with someone to see if they’ll move up your parole. Or to at least find some new information that could get you off the hook completely. That’s why she’s been going to the family dinners. She thinks one of the boys has some information that could help you. She hasn’t gotten anything from them yet. I don’t think she will, they don’t know anything. But she’s exhausting every possible outcome to get you out of here early.” Quincy crossed his arms. “Do you think a woman who hated you would do that?”

* * *

Tora was back in his cell, laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. After Quincey’s confession, they had remained mostly in silence for the rest of the visit, focusing instead on Joseph and Nyla. Tora didn’t feel he had anything more to say, and Quincey was practically sweating bullets realizing he had broken Poppy’s trust by telling Tora where she was instead of being at the visitation. Whatever else Tora wanted to say, he needed to say it to Poppy. He needed to see Poppy and apologize. He knew he was a stubborn fuck, but he couldn’t help it. He had spent so many years building up walls to keep other people out, and routines to protect himself. He felt like he had to work overtime to keep Poppy, and now their children safe, without ever giving her proper reasons for why he did what he did. He had told her of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Balthuman, but no matter how many times she told him he didn’t need to the same around her, that she would never hurt him, he still pushed her away. She should have dumped his sorry ass when she had the chance. Now he’d be damned if he lost her. 

He rose from his bed and walked to the bars of his cell, gripping the steel in his hands. “GUARD!” He roared. 

A moment later, one of the guards for his block appeared with a frown. It was the short fat one that liked to throw his weight around, figuratively speaking. _Of course it had to be this fucker. Looks like we’re doing this the hard way._

“This ought to be good. What do you want, Noyouko?” The guard crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Tora. 

“I gotta talk to the warden.” Tora replied simply. He didn’t need to explain himself to the guard. 

The guard stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “You think you can talk to the warden, just like that? He won’t take the time to talk to a shithead like you.” The guard spat at Tora’s feet, and he saw red. Tora didn’t any respect from the guards, but he’d gladly beat this guard into submission if he thought for one second that he held any power over Tora.

“I don’t think you heard me right the first time.” Tora’s arm struck out between the bars and grabbed the guard by the front of his shirt before he could even react. He pulled him closer until the guard’s face was pressed against the cold metal bars of his cell. Tora could smell the fear coming off him and see it in his eyes. If he wanted, he could probably snap his neck through the bars in this position, and the guard knew it. “Get me the fuckin’ warden. _Now_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you were wondering when Nyla was conceived 👆
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter is currently being written, but I don't know when I'll post it. Until next time~


	3. Getting By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up buttercups, this chapter is a doozie emotionally with plenty of angst, but we get a look into what life is like for Tora and Poppy's family with Tora gone. It's a little bit of a filler chapter (and I'm not entirely happy with it), but it sets up some things that need to happen in the coming chapters. 
> 
> If you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, please let me know! I didn't have a chance to get this beta-read.
> 
> Thank you to Devon for the bully's name 🤗

“What about the anti-corruption report? Have they released it yet?”

“ _They released it early yesterday, I’ve already gone over it. None of the arresting officers are involved in rival clan activities, and I looked into their financial situations as well. Nothing came up that would show they were being paid off. Did you look into the DA again?_ ”

Poppy rubbed a hand roughly over her face, trying to keep her voice down as she spoke on the phone with Lane. Joseph and Nyla were just in the next room over, playing with Erdene. While Nyla couldn’t understand what Poppy was saying, Joseph had started listening to Poppy’s conversations whenever she spoke about Tora and was sharp enough to make connections and ask questions. He didn’t need to worry about his father coming home, all he needed to know was that he was, eventually. He was already having enough trouble with Tora being gone as is.

Poppy had gotten an earful from the principal of Joseph’s school after the young boy had been involved in a fight with one of his classmates, who was teasing him about his father being in prison. She had half a mind to slap the principal for putting all the blame on Joseph when it was the other boy held part of the blame, but she had kept quiet and agreed to discuss how ‘violence wasn’t the answer’ with her son. When Poppy had tried after taking Joseph home, his Tora side came out and he shut down, going silent. She treated his wounds in silence like she had done for Tora so many times, wanting to press him but knowing it would get her nowhere. Joseph would open up when he wanted, and not a moment sooner. 

“It’s not him.” Poppy didn’t need to tell Lane that the DA was on Balthuman’s payroll, she already knew. “They wouldn’t even let me through the office doors this time. The DA said I was wasting my time. There was nothing he could do.” 

“ _How did visitation go yesterday?_ ” Lane asked. “ _Have you had any more trouble with that gate guard? I have some connections in corrections, I could sort him out_.”

Poppy swallowed hard. “I didn’t go yesterday.”

A pause on the other end. “ _Sorry, Poppy, I think the connection stuttered. Did you say you_ didn’t _go yesterday?_ ”

“Yes.” 

“ _Why the hell not? You’ve been driving down there every weekend since they transferred him. What happened?_ ”

“Tora and I had a fight last weekend.” Poppy pressed her hand to her eyes to prevent more tears from falling. This past week, it was like she couldn’t get them to stop. “Or, I fought and he sat there. I did most of the yelling. I sent Joseph and Nyla with Quincy to see him. I had some work to do here at home.” They had planned on going together to celebrate Joseph’s birthday, but Poppy couldn’t justify going when she could be working on finding something to get Tora released. A small part of her mind nagged that maybe Tora had been telling the truth the weekend before, that he didn’t want her there, but she knew it was just her own insecurity talking. She couldn’t let herself think like that now. There was too much to do. 

“ _What did you two fight about?_ ”

“I’d rather not talk about it, Lane. I’m trying to fix it now.” Poppy turned another page of the law manual in front of her. The maximum sentence was for five years, but in all cases similar to Tora’s, none of the defendants had been sentenced to the maximum. The most they had ever been charged was a year, so much so that there had been talks to change the recommended sentence for possession of an unregistered weapon. Tora hadn’t been on parole when he was charged. Why him? Was it because another clan was trying to remove him to get to Balthuman, or was it simply someone trying to show Balthuman he wasn’t above the law?

“ _Poppy, don’t go crazy over this. I’m doing what I can on my end right now. I’ve already heard from my higher-ups that Balthuman himself is getting involved._ ” She took a deep breath. “ _We’re all trying to get Tora out._ ”

_If you’re all trying, why is he still in prison?_ Poppy restrained herself from saying what was really on her mind. “Thank you, Lane.” She said instead. “I have to go, I have plans I need to get ready for tonight.”

“ _I’ll call if I hear anything_.” 

Poppy looked down once the line was dead at Rocky sleeping comfortably at her feet. Ever since Tora had been sent away, Rocky had stuck close to Poppy’s side, mores than usual. It was like he knew she needed the extra reassurance with Tora gone. Maybe Rocky needed some as well. Sometimes, Poppy would catch him sitting by the door around the time Tora used to come home, staring at it expectantly, There would be times Poppy herself would forget and wait for the sound fo his barking to alert her that Tora was home, signaling for her to set the table for dinner so they could eat together, only for it to never come. 

“Stop.” Poppy told herself, whispering. “You need to stop thinking like this. He’s not gone forever. He’s coming home.” She wiped away at some errant tears that had dared to fall as she heard Erdene walk into the kitchen. She knew her friend was already worried about her, and she didn’t need to give her another reason. 

“What did Lane say?” Erdene asked, sitting beside Poppy. 

“There’s no evidence from anti-corruption about any of the arresting officers that night.” Poppy rubbed at her eyes. She didn’t get enough sleep last night. “They’re all squeaky clean.”

Erdene stayed silent. Poppy knew she thought continually exhausting all these avenues was a waste of time, but she continued to indulge her. She had seen firsthand how much of a wreck Poppy had been when Tora was sentenced. If this helped keep her sane, then Erdene wouldn’t say anything. 

“How late do you think you and Quincey will be out tonight?” Erdene stood and walked to the stove to start making tea.

“Who knows.” Poppy shrugged. “Hopefully, we can leave right after dinner is over. I don’t think I can stand listening to Mrs. Balthuman updating me on the latest gossip for another second. I can only pretend to be interested for so long.”

“I don’t envy you.” Erdene laughed. “Do you want help picking out what to wear?”

“I’m fine.” Poppy jumped slightly when the doorbell rang. Rocky jumped up and ran barking to the front door. Erdene and Poppy exchanged a look before Poppy stood and followed Rocky. She knew it was probably Quincey come to pick her up for the family dinner, but her eyes lingered on the small table near the front door, where a small gun safe sat in the locked drawer. It was rare they ever had unannounced visitors, but Tora worried that a rival faction might find out where they lived and send someone after Poppy and the kids. After one of their biggest fights of their relationship, Poppy eventually relented and let him put a gun by the front door, just in case. If the massive dog standing on his back paws to look out the door’s small window and barking wasn’t enough to deter anyone with malicious intent, a shot to the knee definitely would. 

Poppy herded Rocky back and looked through the peephole to see Quincey standing on the front steps, looking at his phone. She breathed a silent sigh of relief and opened the door with a frown. 

“Quincey, you have a key. Why did you ring the doorbell?” She asked. 

“Considering last time when he tried to kill me, I’ll stick with the doorbell.” Quincey responded, gesturing to Rocky as he stepped into the house.

“He didn’t try to kill you, he jumped on you and licked you.” Poppy rolled her eyes.

“Same thing. My jacket was ruined.” Quincey edged away from Rocky toward the living room when the dog started sniffing at his shoes. “You know I’m not an animal person.”

“You’re a nothing-that-isn’t-about-you person!” Erdene yelled from the kitchen. 

Just as Quincey was about to shoot back a retort, Joseph ran around the corner from the living room and barreled head-first into Quincey’s legs, hugging him tightly. “Uncle Quincey!”

The self-proclaimed child-hater grinned and picked Joseph up to give him a proper hug. “Hey there, dude. Shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

Joseph looked at his mother then looked back at Quincey and shook his head.

“I thought I told you to go to bed twenty minutes ago.” Poppy raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Can’t I come, Mommy?” Joseph asked. “I want to go with you and Uncle Quincey.”

Poppy took Joseph from Quincey’s arms and set him on the ground. “It will be too far past your bed time when we get back, and you have school tomorrow. Go get into bed, I’ll be there in a minute.” 

“Bed is boring.” Joseph grumbled, looking down and kicking at the rug.

“I’m not going to ask twice.” 

Joseph stared at Poppy for a second, his brow scrunched up. Poppy could have almost laughed from how much he looked like Tora, but she also knew that his expression was a mirror of Tora’s whenever he was deciding if he should argue or not. After her phone call with Lane, she didn’t know if she could stay calm if Joseph decided to rebel.

After several pregnant moments, Joseph sighed and walked up the stairs, his bedroom door closing after.

“Ever think you were just a host for a Tora clone?” Quincey asked with a smile. 

“Sometimes, but he has my eyes.” Poppy smiled. “Give me ten minutes, I can change and tuck Joseph in.”

She walked down the hallway into her and Tora’s bedroom, pulling a random dress out of her closet and quickly changing into it before throwing her hair into a bun. Hopefully the Balthuman’s wouldn’t be offended that she was wearing flats instead of heels and hadn’t bothered putting on makeup. Poppy didn’t even want to be going to this dinner, but she knew if she refused, Mr. Balthuman would just send a car to pick her up and remove the illusion of choice. 

When Poppy went into Joseph’s room to tuck him in, she found him sitting on top of his covers, staring at the wall. He looked up when she entered and pulled back the covers to climb in. 

“I thought you would already be half asleep.” Poppy told him, walking over to his bed and sitting down beside him. “You were yawning like crazy through dinner.”

Joseph didn’t respond, instead looking down at his hands as he played with his fingers. “Did Daddy leave because of me?”

“What?” Poppy lifted his chin to force her son to look at her, but he still wouldn’t meet her eyes. That didn’t prevent her from seeing the unspilt tears in his eyes. “Oh, sweetheart.” Poppy got under the covers with Joseph and held him tight as he cried. 

“Daddy did not leave because of you. He didn’t have a choice.” She told him firmly. “Who told you that?”

“Kyle said that daddies go to prison to get away from their stupid kids.” Joseph told her in a quiet voice. Poppy felt a surge of anger overcome her. She knew whatever had happened at school had something to do with Tora, otherwise Joseph would have told her. Joseph was trying to be a big boy with his dad gone, but he was still a little kid. Poppy remembered how hard it was being Joseph’s age, wanting so hard to fit in but still being bullied over things you couldn’t control. 

“Well Kyle is an idiot.” Poppy smiled as shock replaced the sad expression on Joseph’s face. 

“Mommy, you can’t call people idiots. That’s mean.” Joseph told her. 

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Poppy brushed some hair back from Joseph’s forehead. “Don’t listen to him. Daddy is coming back home.” 

“Promise?” 

“I promise.”

Once Joseph had finally calmed down enough to let go of Poppy, she made her way downstairs and put her shoes on, walking outside and getting into the back of the waiting car without saying a word to Quincey. She needed at least a few moments to herself before the drive to the Balthuman estate. Poppy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course Quincey wouldn’t have driven himself. Quincey entered a moment later and once he was inside, the car took off. He reached up above them to press a button, and the partition between the back of the car and the driver slowly raised until they were cut off. Quincey sat back with a sigh and looked over at Poppy.

“You want to talk about it?”

“Not right now.” 

“Okay, then. Different topic. Have you thought any more about moving in with your grandmother?” Quincey asked. 

“I don’t know.” Poppy sighed. “She’s offered a few times, and it would be good to have the extra help without relying on you, Alice, and Erdene all the time, but I also can’t expect Gil to let me telecommute every day. And it would mean pulling Joseph out of school. He’s already having problems as is, moving someplace new might just cause more.”

“I could always move in to help.”

Poppy looked at him with a raised brow. Quincey glanced at her with a serious expression, then broke into a smile. “I figured you could use a laugh.”

“You’d be as useful as an ice maker in Antarctica.” 

“Hey, I changed a diaper once.” 

“You put it on backwards!” 

They both laughed, and it felt like the first time in a long time Poppy had. She had been so preoccupied the past two years, trying to make Tora’s absence less of a shock for their children, doing everything in her power to hasten his release, as well as keep up with the rest of her work and home responsibilities that she had felt herself slipping away. It was rare she found time to think about anything else nowadays. She knew she needed to take care of herself, but she couldn’t see why that was important when she had so much else to do. 

“How was the visit yesterday?” Poppy finally mustered up enough courage to ask. Quincey had to leave directly after dropping Joseph and Nyla off, so they couldn’t talk about how it went. Even though Tora had made it clear he didn’t want her at the prison, she still felt guilty for not going. 

“Oh…um, it was fine. We didn’t talk about much.” Poppy’s eyes narrowed when Quincey rubbed his neck, something he did whenever he was nervous. 

“You’re lying.” Poppy announced. “What really happened?”

“I told Tora that you’re going to family dinners.” Quincey blurted out. 

“ _What?!_ ” Poppy shrieked. She reached over and hit Quincey in the arm. “You promised you wouldn’t tell him!”

“I’m sorry! It just slipped out!” He wailed. 

“How does that just slip out, Quincey? What the hell were you talking about?”

Quincey went quiet again. 

“ _Answer me_.” Poppy ordered in her best mom voice. 

“I told him that my dad told you to get a divorce.” 

“QUINCEY!”

“Not my face, please!”

“He’s already in prison, worrying about not being there for his family. He doesn’t need to be worrying about not having a family to come back to!” Poppy shouted.

“I was trying to get that numb skull to realize how drastic what he said to you was. He doesn’t realize the consequences of what he says sometimes.” Quincey rubbed the spot where Poppy hit him. 

“Do you really think I would do that?” Poppy whispered. 

“No, of course—

“Then why did you even bring it up to him?! I’m already dealing with your father telling me to divorce him, as well as almost every other person I’ve spoken to when they find out my husband is in prison. This is just like when we started dating, no one is supporting us!” Poppy buried her face in her hands to hide the tears in her eyes from Quincey.

Poppy didn’t know how long she sat like that, but she eventually felt Quincey’s hands wrap around hers and pull them from her face. He turned her towards him, but didn’t let go over her hands. The intimacy might have been awkward for some, but they both knew there was no ulterior motive behind it. Poppy and Quincey had dated once, yes, but it had been one-sided and ended so many years ago. They were just close friends now. She had no reason to worry that Quincey was trying to ‘make his move’ with Tora gone, unlike some of the other men in the Balthuman organization. One well-placed knee from Poppy and they hadn’t questioned her fidelity to her husband since. 

“Look, Poppy, I know you’re stressed about this situation, and scared because you don’t know what the outcome will be, but you can’t keep things like this from Tora. He’s going to worry about you and the kids no matter what. He works for a fucking gang, that puts a target on your back. You want to make him feel as connected as possible, you need to tell him the bad stuff too.” Quincey told her. “Including the problems Joseph has been having at school.”

Poppy pulled her hands from Quincey’s grip and wrapped her arms around her midsection, looking out the window as the scenery quickly changed from city streets to large estates of the countryside. She knew he was right. In her own way, she had been trying to protect Tora from feeling any more useless than he might be feeling, but she had been lying to herself as well. She was pretending that everything was fine and nothing was wrong with Tora gone, that she could do it by herself until he eventually came back home. She didn’t want him to worry, so she had lied to him.

“God, when did it get this fucked up?” Poppy sighed.

“You were doing what you thought was best.” Quincey reached over and rested a hand on her knee. “But you have to tell him, Poppy.”

“I don’t want him going crazy knowing he can’t do anything from in there.”

“I don’t know, I think Tora can still make Joseph sit in a corner for five minutes for hitting another kid.” Quincey grinned as Poppy cracked another smile. 

“Tora would never. We both know I’m the disciplinarian.”

“Keep your sex life to yourself, please.” 

“Quincey!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at the Balthuman's next chapter! And a little something extra...
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! Until next time~


	4. An Invitation...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to split what I had into two chapters because it got a little long. So don't hurt me for the cliffhanger in this chapter. 
> 
>   
> A HUGE thank you to Annie J (ann_jay009) for beta-reading chapters 4 & 5 for me, and for helping me come up with the names for these two chapters!

Dinner at the Balthuman’s was never something Poppy looked forward to. 

Every Sunday night Vincent Balthuman insisted on having all his lieutenants and top players, along with their families, over for dinner to play happy family. Tora had never mentioned them to Poppy before they had gotten married, probably because he refused to go to them unless Balthuman gave him a direct order. This insubordination was usually overlooked because Quincey rarely went to family dinners either, but once Tora became a “family man”, Balthuman became more insistent, trying to get both Tora and Poppy to come, along with Joseph. Tora had gone only a handful of times but had never allowed the rest of his family to come, saying that Poppy had to stay home to watch their son. 

After Tora was sent away, Poppy had opened her door one Sunday afternoon to find Vincent Balthuman standing on her porch with a personal invitation. He was smiling, but Poppy could see the warning flash behind his eyes. It wasn’t a request. Ever since that night, Poppy had gone to every Sunday dinner except for the few times Joseph or Nyla were sick. She still tried to keep her children as far away from the Balthuman clan as possible and made up excuses as to why she couldn’t bring them, but they had been at the mansion a few times. Luckily, it seemed Balthuman’s main goal was just getting Poppy there, and not the kids. 

Poppy resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Claude started to brag again about how well their most recent job went. She wanted nothing more than to tell him to shut up, but she kept picking at her food with disinterest as the conversation continued around her. It wasn’t her place, and she didn’t want to cause any problems that were bound to happen, from the way Martin, Claude’s father, was glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. Her only solace was Quincey sitting to her left, literally at Mr. Balthuman’s right hand, who would lean over from time to time to whisper mocking words about Claude in her ear. She had to stifle her laughter several times, which just earned her questioning looks from Claude’s woman across the table. One glare from Poppy and she went back to minding her own business. 

“Where are the children tonight, Poppy?” Mrs. Balthuman broke Poppy from her thoughts. Poppy raised her head and looked at her at the opposite head of the table, directly across from her husband. “Vincent and I were so eager to see them.”

“It was a little too late for them to be staying out. Joseph has school tomorrow and I didn’t want him up late tonight.” Poppy set her utensils down and wrung the bottom of her dress with her hands underneath the table. She hated having any attention drawn to her when she was at these gatherings. Tora had promised her that no harm would come to her and their children simply because they were his family, but she worried some of that protection was now gone as long as he was away. She hoped being close with Quincey would prevent those with ill-intent from trying anything. 

“Such darling children.” Larissa turned and smiled at Mr. Balthuman. “Don’t you think, dear?”

“Yes, they are. Especially little Joseph. He’s the spitting image of our Tora boy.” Vincent nodded in agreement. 

“He certainly doesn’t have Tora’s temperament. We couldn’t get him to do anything we told him.” Martin spoke up. “Hopefully you don’t ever have to deal with that.”

Poppy’s grip tightened on her dress as both Martin and Mr. Balthuman laughed while she tried to control herself from lashing out at the two men. How could they laugh so nonchalantly about torturing Tora as he was growing up? 

Before Poppy could stand and excuse herself, Vincent’s eyes were on her again as he started to speak, forcing her to sit back down and turn her attention to him. “I’ve been wondering, Poppylan, if it would be better if you moved to this area.”

Poppy glanced at Quincey for a moment, who was now frowning at his father. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Balthuman, but that’s unnecessary. We’re doing just fine in our house now.” Poppy measured her words carefully, not wanting to sound ungrateful, but definitely not letting him believe that Poppy would do anything he told her to. 

“Surely you would feel more comfortable, living closer to the rest of the clan. We could provide more consistent protection for you and your children.” Mr. Balthuman pressed. Why was he so insistent? “There are several homes in this area you would find suitable. I could help you purchase one.”

“Dad, I doubt Poppy wants to drive thirty minutes into the city every day to get to her job.” Quincy interjected. “If you’re concerned about safety, we can increase patrols in that area.” 

Vincent looked at his son with a warning flashing in his eyes. Quincey had spoken out of turn, and he wasn’t about to be challenged by his son in front of his lieutenants. “Those children are just so dear, I worry about them.” He leaned back in his chair and took another sip of scotch, staring Poppy down. “Especially with their father gone.”

Poppy thought her knuckles were going to pop out of place from her strong grip. It was commonplace now for Mr. Balthuman to bring up the fact Tora was in prison at least once during their family dinner. The first few times, Poppy had still been shell-shocked at Tora being gone in the first place, or focusing on Joseph, to even notice. But as the references grew more frequent, it had become harder to ignore them. She knew exactly what Mr. Balthuman was trying to achieve, and she wouldn’t let that happen. It didn’t matter what he thought of Poppy and Tora being together, they had been married for almost eight years now, she wasn’t about to throw that all away just because Tora was in prison. This was just a momentary separation. Poppy wasn’t going to make it permanent. 

“We’re managing just fine as is, Mr. Balthuman. Money is not an issue. But thank you for your concern and your offer.” Again, Poppy picked up her fork and pushed some food around on her plate in an attempt to eat. Whenever she stepped into the Balthuman compound, she lost her appetite. 

“I see.” He continued staring at her. “Keep my offer in mind, it will stand.”

“Thank you, Mr. Balthuman.”

Once the dinner portion of the evening was finally over, Mr. Balthuman and the rest of the men went into his study, most likely to discuss “business” over scotch and cigars, while the women went into Mrs. Balthuman’s drawing room to gossip. Poppy excused herself to go to the bathroom, less out of necessity and more to get away from the stifling atmosphere surrounding the high-ranking clan members. She never enjoyed gossip and she didn’t care enough about the other women at dinner to listen to what they had to say. Most of them gave her looks of pity anyway. She didn’t want their pity. She didn’t need it. 

She found a bench down a deserted hallway and sat down, trying to calm down from the dinner. Balthuman wasn’t usually that determined talking about Tora. And what was that about her moving out to the country, to be “closer to the clan”? She and Tora both had made it clear several times that they were going to remain in the city. This was the first time he had openly brought it up in front of others, before speaking privately to either the two of them or to Poppy alone. What was his game?

“I can’t believe it. Why do they even keep her around?” 

“Maybe they feel sorry for her because of her worthless husband. I mean, getting caught on a job as simple as that? I thought he was trained by Balthuman himself.”

Poppy peered around the corner to track the two voices carrying from down the hallway. She saw two women standing near the door to the drawing room, the wives of lieutenants Poppy didn’t know. She wasn’t sure of their names, or even what their husbands’ names were. It didn’t matter to her.

“Must be as stupid as everyone says. His wife is a ditz too. Master Balthuman offers you a house and you refuse? What idiot does that?” 

“Birds of a feather. You know she used to date Young Master Balthuman.”

“She might be again, the way she’s hanging around him. God, her husband’s in prison, not dead. Unfaithful bitch.”

They both laughed, their voices growing fainter once the door to the drawing room closed behind them. Poppy sat back, her hands shaking as she tried to control her emotions. She would not break down here. If that’s what they said when anyone could be listening, what did they say when Poppy wasn’t around? She pressed her hand to her mouth and took a shaking breath in an attempt to calm herself, but it didn’t work. She shouldn’t have agreed to drive with Quincey tonight. She had no way of getting home until he was ready to leave, and that could be hours from now, depending on when his father allowed him to leave. All she wanted to do was go home, crawl under the covers, and pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist until the sun came up. Hopefully going to sleep would allow her to forget this awful night. 

“Hey, there you are.” Quincey’s voice echoed in the cavernous hallway as well as his footsteps while he walked down the hall towards her. She didn’t bother looking over as he sat down beside her with a groan. “My old man wants me to stay the night. Something about business in the morning. I’ll get one of the drivers to take you home.” 

Poppy nodded, unable to let any words past her lips in fear that her tears would come out with it. When she didn’t respond verbally, Quincey looked over at her with a frown. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” His voice was immediately free of all irritation and was now tender and concerned as he rested a hand on Poppy’s shoulder. For someone who was as self-centered as Quincey, he had a knack for knowing when one of his friends was hurting. When his hand touched her shoulder, she couldn’t hold it in any more. She broke down in tears, trying to muffle the sounds of her crying by covering her face with her hands. She felt Quincey gently pulling her into his embrace, allowing her to cry into his chest.

“I don’t know what to do, Quincey.” Poppy sobbed. “I’m trying so hard to be positive for the both of us and our family, but I don’t know how long I can keep this up. How many times am I going to have to hold Joseph as he cries himself to sleep because Tora isn’t there to tuck him in? And how is Nyla going to know who her father is? She’ll be four if he has to serve his entire sentence. He’ll be a stranger to her. I haven’t had a full night’s sleep since he was arrested because I can’t sleep without him beside me. I can’t do this by myself. We need him. I need him.” She gasped for breath and clutched at the lapels of his jacket. 

They sat like that for several minutes until Poppy felt she had cried all the tears she had been holding in for the past two years. As she started to pull back though, Quincey’s grip on her tightened, forcing her to keep her face hidden in his shoulder. 

“Quincey, what—

“Are you well, Poppylan?” She froze at the sound of Mr. Balthuman’s voice. With all her crying, she hadn’t even heard him approaching. She remembered both Tora and Quincey telling her before that Mr. Balthuman saw crying as a sign of weakness and didn’t tolerate it in any form in his household. She was thankful for Quincey. If his father saw her crying, he would know he had gotten to her. She didn’t want to give him that power over her. 

“She’s fine, Dad. Just tired.” Quincey spoke for Poppy and frowned at his father. “I’m going to have one of the drivers take her home, since I’m staying here tonight.” 

“Very well.” Balthuman’s eyes never left Poppy with her head still buried in Quincey’s jacket. “Call if you need anything, dear.” 

She nodded in response and waited until his footsteps had disappeared down the hallway before straightening and wiping the tears from her eyes. “Thank you. I’m sorry, I think I ruined your shirt.”

“No problem. I wanted to get a new one anyway.” Quincey gave her a crooked smile. “Let’s get you home.”

He escorted her out of the mansion to a waiting car, giving the driver her address. She was thankful he wasn’t escorting her back home. Even though she trusted Quincey, she still didn’t like crying in front of anyone. She needed some time to herself to recover emotionally before putting her facade back on.

It was already well past midnight when the car finally pulled up in front of Poppy’s house. She smiled when she saw Rocky standing at the front gate,watching her expectantly as she climbed out of the car. He started wiggling as Poppy walked inside the yard, careful not to let the gate open too far while she slipped inside. 

“Why aren’t you asleep?” She asked, crouching down to rub his ears. He licked her chin and circled around her, his stumpy tail wagging quickly. “Were you waiting for me?”

“We both were.” Poppy looked to the porch and saw Erdene sitting on the couch in the small sitting area. “You’re late, young lady.” 

“Yes, _Mom_.” Poppy climbed the steps and laid down next to Erdene to rest her head in her lap. Erdene started taking the bobby pins out of Poppy’s hair, combing it with her fingers. 

“That bad?”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Poppy sighed. “How did Joseph and Nyla do?”

“Nyla is still sleeping like a rock, and I didn’t have to bribe Joseph to go back to bed this time.”

Poppy rolled her eyes and covered them with her hand. “He hasn’t had a solid night’s sleep in over a year.”

“At least he didn’t break a picture frame like last time.”

“I wish I could have stayed home. I didn’t want to leave him tonight.” Poppy sat up and looked at Erdene. “He finally told me why he got into that fight at school. Some kid told him that Tora went to prison to get away from him.”

“But that’s not true!” Erdene exclaimed with a scowl. “Did Joseph believe him?”

“I have no idea, but it was enough to upset him to pick a fight.” Poppy tunneled her fingers through her hair. “I need something to happen, Erdene. I can’t just sit back while Tora’s in prison. He needs to get out and come home. I know someone in that organization knows something, but everyone is so tight-lipped. I don’t understand why they’re letting this happen, it’s driving me crazy.”

“Are you ever going to let me kick their asses?”

Poppy managed a weak laugh. “I don’t want you to die, so no.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “I keep telling myself not to let it get to me, but I couldn’t help it tonight. I think I owe Quincey a new shirt.”

“That’s what you get for being nice.” Erdene reached over and pinched Poppy’s cheek with a grin. 

“Stahp!” Poppy smacked her hand away and tried to defend herself as Erdene continued her assault, pinching Poppy’s cheeks and poking her until it ended with the two women collapsing into a fit of giggles. The tender moment between friends was ruined when Poppy’s phone began to ring shrilly from her purse. The two looked between each other warily. It was past midnight, no one should be calling this late. Poppy had texted Quincey before she even got out of the car to let him know she had made it home safely. 

“Wait, wait!” Poppy stuck her hand out to stop Erdene from starting up again as she fished for her phone in her bag with the other. When she pulled it out, she frowned. Unknown number. Who was this?

“Hello?” Poppy held the phone to her ear, smacking Erdene’s hand away when she tried to get Poppy to put it on speaker. She thought it could be a prank call because there was no sound on the other end. Then, a faint click sounded and the recording of an automated voice spoke in Poppy’s ear. 

“ _Will you accept a call from Narin Correctional Facility_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Until next time~


	5. ...Accepted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be warned, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SMUT. I'd also recommend getting a glass of water. 
> 
> A HUGE thank you to Annie J (ann_jay009) for beta-reading chapters 4 & 5 for me, and for helping me come up with the names for these two chapters!

Tora paced around the visitation room like a caged animal. According to the clock on the wall, it had been almost two hours since he had been escorted here by the warden. The Warden hadn’t explained what exactly he had told his wife over the phone, but he confirmed he had fulfilled his task and that she would be coming tonight. He knew it took a little over an hour to reach the prison from where they lived. Adding some time to wait for someone to come and watch the kids while she left, she should have been there by now. 

He hated this feeling. He hated feeling helpless, like everything was up to chance. He needed to be in control. He wanted her to walk through that door right now so he wouldn’t have to wait another goddamn minute. Tora grumbled and sat down on the small double bed in the corner, tapping his foot in impatience. If she wasn’t in the room in the next five minutes, he was going to find the warden and demand answers. 

“I don’t understand what’s going on.” He shot into a standing position at the sound of Poppy’s voice. “The warden said Tora was in the infirmary, where are we? Where is my husband?”

“It’s best not to ask questions, Mrs. Noyouko.” Koji’s voice this time. The door opened into the room and Koji gently pushed Poppy inside, closing and locking it behind her. She looked fucking gorgeous, wearing a black dress with a slit up her leg that Tora knew too well. It was the same dress she had worn on their first official date after several months of hooking up, and again on their impromptu honeymoon to Okinawa. Both times he had threatened to rip it off her, and both times Poppy had promised to reward him if he could control himself. He wasn’t sure if he could this time. After a year, she might be walking out in rags. Tora didn’t give her a chance to adjust to her surroundings before he took two giant steps across the floor and grabbed her around her waist, pulling him against his hard body and kissing her fiercely. 

Poppy let out a muffled scream beneath his lips from shock, but she relaxed quickly when she recognized his touch and melted into him. He felt her hands wrap around the back of his neck and pull herself closer as their tongues probed each other, tasting for the first time in too long. He knew he shouldn’t just pounce on her like a starving animal, but all their contact had been reduced to a quick hug and kiss with a guard mandating how long it would be. It was enough to drive Tora crazy. She sighed beneath his kiss when his hands gripped the underside of her thighs and hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried them to the small metal table in the room. He laid her down on it and leaned over her, latching onto her neck to suck at her pulse point while his fingers skimmed up her inner thigh, making their way to her core.

“Wait, wait! Tora, stop! ” Poppy pushed hard against his chest, snapping back to reality when Tora’s cold fingers began toying with the edge of her underwear. Tora finally pulled back enough so they could properly look at each other. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swelled from their kissing. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. He already saw the beginning of a love bite on her neck from where he was just kissing. If he had his way, all that pale skin would be covered by his marks when they were done.

“What’s going on?” She sat up, forcing Tora to stand up straight as well. He kept his position between her legs and drew circles on her hips as she looked over his face. “The warden said you were in the infirmary because of a fight. What are you doing here?”

“I made a deal with the Warden to get some time alone with no one watching.” Tora leaned down and kissed a trail from her chest up her neck, unable to keep from touching his wife. “We have until morning.” Poppy moaned above him when he pressed himself against her, allowing her to feel how hard he already was. He grinned against her skin and continued sucking skin when Poppy’s hips responded, grinding against him. 

“Tora, stop, please.” She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back gently again. He sighed and moved back, knowing that sex was going to have to wait until Poppy said what was on her mind. He could tell from the hesitant way she touched him and the look in her eyes when he first got a good look at her that something was worrying her. “I…I have to tell you something.”

“Quincey already told me about the DA’s office and the dinners.” Tora’s hands on the table clenched. He knew why she did it, but it didn’t mean he was happy about it. “I understand, even though it probably won’t get you anywhere, sweetheart.”

“It’s not—Well, yes, I didn’t tell you about that.” He frowned when Poppy turned her head to the side as he tried to kiss her, getting her cheek instead. “I’m sorry.”

“‘S fine.” Tora watched as Poppy worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Is there something else?”

“Y-yes.” She took a deep breath but still didn’t look at him. “Joseph’s been having some problems at school and at home.”

His frown deepened and he took a step back. “What kind of problems?”

“He’s been having trouble with his teachers and with some other kids, and listening to direction.”

Tora watched as Poppy studied her hands. He continued staring at her while he waited for her to elaborate. He knew her well enough to know she was still hiding something. How bad was it that she didn’t want to tell him?

“How long has this been happening?” Tora pressed when she wouldn’t say anything, still twiddling her fingers.

“About a year.”

Tora clenched his jaw, trying to control himself so he wouldn’t lash out at Poppy. He felt the rage bubbling up inside him like it had so many times before. It kept him alive when he was on the streets, so he could come home to his family. He never thought that Poppy, the first thing he had come to care about in this shit world, was the target of his anger. 

They had promised each other early on in their relationship not to lie to each other, unless it was necessary on Tora’s part to protect Poppy. He had dealt with enough people in his life using him for their own gain, withholding the truth to twist him to do their bidding and keep him on a short leash. It was one of the reasons it had taken so long for Tora to open up to Poppy and accept that she really did care about him, maybe even love him. He had told her how he had been raised, and she had swore she would never lie to him. Now, here she was, sitting in front of him and admitting to doing just that. 

“He got into a fight at school last week.” Poppy whispered, pulling Tora from his thoughts. 

“You’re joking.” Joseph wouldn’t step on sidewalk cracks because of that old saying, not wanting to hurt Poppy. That kid wouldn't hurt a fly.

“I’m not, Tora.” Poppy finally looked up at him with a frown. “The other kid was hurt, they considered suspending Joseph.” 

Tora waited for Poppy’s face to crack into a smile and tell him that she was joking, but she continued to frown at him. They stared at each other for several moments before Tora shook his head. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He hated that was the only thing that was on his mind. It shouldn’t affect him this way, people lied to him all the time. His kid had gotten into a fight at school, and all he could focus on her deception. He clenched and unclenched his hands to try to control the urge to hit something. _Goddammit, I need a smoke_. 

“Because I didn’t want to worry you.” Poppy reached a hand out to touch him, but he took another step back so she couldn’t reach him. He saw pain flash across her face for a moment before she schooled her expression again, trying to stay calm, which only set Tora off further. He didn’t need to be handled like he was about to explode, even if he actually was. 

“That’s a bullshit excuse.” The venom was out of Tora’s mouth before he could stop, but he couldn’t help it. He saw her eyes widen in shock at his tone. He never spoke to her like that, even when he was upset she had done something that put herself in danger. But instead of backing down, her brow furrowed and her eyes lost their sparkle and became hard. 

“So what if it’s a bullshit excuse?” Poppy retorted. “Do you want me to tell you what’s going on, then have you shut down in front of the kids and make them think you’re mad at them?” 

“Don’t bring them into this.” Tora growled.

“It’s the truth!” Poppy shouted. “I don’t want them to have any bad memories of you being in here. And I don’t want you to worry about things you can’t control!”

“So you lied to me instead?”

“It’s not like you’ve never kept anything from me for the sake of my own mental health, Tora!” 

“Not telling you about fucking someone up is different from not telling me our kid started a fight at school!” Tora yelled. He saw Poppy flinch as his voice resonated off the cinder block walls of the room. He clenched his jaw, kicking himself mentally at making his wife fear him even for a split second. He pressed his fingers into his eyes hard in an attempt to calm down, but he still felt that churn in his stomach. “What was the fighting about?”

“Does it matter?” She crossed her arms and turned her head again. 

“Yes, Poppy, it matters.” He snapped. “What was it?”

“Another kid told him that you went to prison because you wanted to get away from us.”

“And he believed that shit?”

“He’s six, Tora. He doesn’t know what to believe. None of the other kids’ dads are in prison, he has nothing to compare it to.” She explained. 

“Sorry I’m not an accountant.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it.” Poppy crossed her arms and glared at him. Any other time Tora would have laughed. When she pouted like that, she looked like some woodland creature, but he was too pissed off.

“Well fuck, sweetheart. I guess I don’t know what you’re going to say, if you’re going to lie some more or tell me the fucking truth for once.” Tora sat down in a chair opposite her, burying his head in his hands. The buzz of the fluorescents permeated the silence between them. How did this go tits up so fast? He had wanted to do this so they could at least get one night together where they could fuck as much as they wanted without having any eyes on them, or worry about the kids. Now he could barely stand to look at her. This was two weeks in a row now where their visits had gone poorly. He wondered if this was going to be the new normal. There were plenty of other men in the prison whose wives had served them divorce papers while they were still in lockup, unable to handle the strain of their husbands being away for so long or raising their families on their own. It’s true he had created his bullshit plan of trying to get Poppy to leave him that lasted all of five seconds. But now he worried that maybe it had actually planted a thought in her head, one that would take root, and eventually Tora would be sent his own papers to sign. At the time, Quincey had been able to talk him down, but maybe it was for the best if it actually happened.

The sound of Poppy slowly sliding off the table and walking across the linoleum floor alerted him she was coming closer until he could see her feet come into his field of vision on the floor. He flinched away from her when her hands made contact with his face, but she persisted, gently cupping his face in her hands and forcing him to look up at her. Her eyes shone with unshed tears while she studied his neutral expression, one he had learned to use well so he wouldn’t betray his emotions, no matter how he was feeling. He was pissed she had kept something like this from him, but he still hated seeing her cry. He hated even more that he was the cause of it. He could already feel his anger seeping away the longer Poppy touched him. He could hold a grudge like a motherfucker, but he was never able to when it came to her.

“I know I messed up by not telling you about these things, and I’m sorry. We’re partners, I shouldn’t have lied to you. I would never do anything to hurt you, Tora.” His eyes closed automatically when Poppy leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Damn, he missed her. “I promise I won’t do it again.”

He nodded and leaned forward, resting his head against her shoulder. He made a content noise at the back of his throat involuntarily as Poppy began running her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be. You have a right to be angry. This isn’t easy for either of us.” He felt her lips kissing the side of his head and he leaned into her touch. “I was trying to pretend everything was fine and nothing had changed, but it’s not.”

She shouldn’t have to go through this. This was his life, not hers. He had dragged her into it because he hadn’t had the balls to make her walk away when she had the chance. But she was just as stubborn as he was. Even if he had tried to force her, she wouldn’t have gone anywhere. Just like she wasn’t running away now, after everything they had been through. “Is there anything else?” Tora whispered against her skin. 

“Balthuman wants me to move closer to the manor.” She didn’t beat around the bush this time. 

“What?” Tora’s head shot up from Poppy’s neck. “Why?”

“He said for protection, so we could be close to the clan.” Poppy explained. “Quincey protested it.”

 _At least he’s good for something._ “What did you say?”

“I told him we were fine where we were.” Poppy tucked a strand of hair behind Tora’s ear with a small smile. “I don’t care what he thinks, I’m not going anywhere. You better remember that too.”

Tora managed a half-hearted smile. “What about you?”

“What about me?” She echoed. 

“How are you?” Tora rested his hand on Poppy’s hip and pulled her closer. “The only answer you’ve ever given when I asked how you’ve been is something like ‘fine’ or ‘good’. I know that’s bullshit too.”

Her mouth opened to answer, but instead of answering right away, Poppy exhaled a shaking breath. “I need you home. I can’t...I can’t do any of this without you. We have all the help we could need, but it’s not the same. I don’t think I’ve gotten a full-night’s sleep since you left.” She admitted. 

Tora reached his hand up and brushed the pad of his thumb over one of the dark circles under Poppy’s eyes. He hadn’t noticed them before. She must have kept them covered with her makeup. Her eyes seemed duller too, some of the life had gone out of them. She looked exhausted. She almost didn’t look like the Poppy he knew and fell in love with. 

“I’ll be fine though.” She reached up between them and smoothed the crease between his brow with her thumb. “You don’t have to worry.”

“I’ll always worry about you. Even when you’re a pain in my ass.” 

Poppy smiled, but it faded as she rested her hand over Tora’s on her hip. “Are you still mad at me?”

Tora shook his head. “I’m mad you didn’t tell me. But I’ll get over it.”

“I ruined your surprise, didn’t I?”

“It doesn’t have to be ruined.” Tora ran his free hand up Poppy’s thigh and underneath her dress, cupping her ass.

“Is that so?” She asked, her eyes sliding shut as she shivered at the feeling of Tora’s large fingers stroking over the gusset of her underwear. She was already soaking. He rubbed her clit through her underwear, enjoying hearing her moans. Without warning, he hooked his fingers in the elastic of her underwear and pulled it off her. Poppy gasped quietly at the sudden change before she bent down to kiss him, climbing over him to straddle his lap. Tora slipped two fingers inside her, relishing in her moan as she ground her hips into his hand while gripping Poppy’s hip to steady her. 

“Tora, I need you.” She whispered. He felt her hands start to undo the buttons on his jumpsuit but it was taking too damn long for his liking. He needed to feel her. Pulling his fingers from her, he pushed her hands aside and ripped it open, the buttons popping off like kernels. He helped her push it off his shoulders and over his hips until his erection was free. Poppy didn’t waste any time and took it in her hand, stroking him from base to tip. Tora bit back a groan and thrust into her hand. He was overly sensitive after being apart for so long. He could come in a few minutes from her hand job like a fucking teenager. Tora bit back a groan, determined to keep his focus. Poppy positioned herself over him and began to guide his cock to her wet core.

“Mm!” Poppy exclaimed as she lowered herself on him inch by inch, torturing Tora with her slow pace. He let out a moan and gripped Poppy’s hips tighter, letting his head fall back while he tried to control his breathing. He wanted to thrust up inside her but didn’t want to be rough with her after so long apart. They would go at her pace, for now. He looked back up and saw Poppy biting her lip, her face scrunched as she finally sank fully onto Tora.

“You okay?” Tora asked. He felt her trembling beneath his hands when her movements stilled, her breathing labored like she was in pain.

“Yes.” Poppy panted. “Oh god, yes.” She leaned forward and captured his lips, kissing him fiercely as she began to move her hips back and forth. Tora bit back a groan, already feeling that twist in his stomach as Poppy’s muscles squeezed around him with every roll of her hips on him. He had missed her more, but he missed _this_. Feeling her muscles squeezing around him as they moved in sync, hearing her little pants and moans in his ear with her nails digging harder into his shoulders as she brought herself closer to climax. She was even tighter than before, after having a baby and going without sex for over a year.

If he wanted to last longer, he needed to come up with something else. With one violent motion, he pulled Poppy’s dress over her head and tossed it on the floor next to him, hooking his thumbs underneath her bra to pull it off with the dress so she was now naked on top of him. It probably wasn’t the most comfortable thing for Poppy, but if he couldn’t touch all of her for another second, he was going to go crazy.

Leaning forward to capture a rosy peak between his lips, he moved his hand between them and began circling her clit. Poppy’s rhythm faltered with the added stimulation of Tora’s fingers on her sensitive nub and his tongue on her breasts. Without warning, Poppy cried out, her muscles clenching around him tightly as she climaxed, and Tora immediately pulled her up so he was no longer inside her. He didn’t know if Poppy was still on birth control, and he’d be damned if he got her pregnant again and missed the birth of another kid for her to raise alone, just because he wanted to get off quick. 

“Why did you stop?” Poppy’s question came out almost as a whine. He smiled at her love drunk expression, her eyes barely open as she watched him. She tried to guide him back into her, but he held her still.

“It’s our first time together in over a year, we’re not going to have a quick fuck and be done.” Tora closed his eyes for a moment to regain control, trying to calm down after being so close to coming himself. 

“A year.” Poppy exhaled in disbelief. 

“Three-hundred eighty-one days, if we’re counting.” Tora guided her arms to wrap around his neck tightly as he stood with Poppy clinging to him and carried her to the double bed in the corner of the room. “Though I gotta admit, I loved how your tits got even bigger when ya were pregnant.”

Poppy blushed at his words, even though she was completely naked in his arms and they had just fucked each other not a minute earlier. Whenever he talked dirty to her in any way, she would flush as red as a beet. He smirked, knowing that hadn’t and wouldn’t change. 

Tora could feel a spring dig into his stomach when he laid Poppy down on the hard mattress and laid between her legs, hooking them over his shoulders. The momentary discomfort was forgotten as he kissed his way up Poppy’s thigh and held her down with one large hand on her stomach to stop her squirming. 

“Tora.” Poppy moaned and tried to shift her hips toward him. Tora made eye contact with her over her body as he bit and sucked his way up her thigh, stopping just short of her core. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” He almost purred.

“Tora, _please_.” Poppy reached down and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t wait any longer.”

“So you don’t want this?” Tora suddenly leaned in and sucked hard on her nub, eliciting a scream above him. 

“I—oh, do that again.” Her hand gripped his hair tighter as Tora thrust his tongue inside her and licked up the juices that began to flow from Poppy as he brought her closer to orgasm. Her thighs wrapped tighter around his head, muffling the sounds of her moans. Tora dove deeper into his task, nibbling at her clit and sucking hard again as he brought his fingers up and thrust them inside her, pumping them in and out. Poppy’s hips ground into his mouth to move in time with his fingers as she cried out again, not stopping until her body stopped shaking and her legs loosened from around him. Tora kissed his way back up her body, pausing at her breasts to give them proper worship before Poppy grabbed his head and brought it up to hers to kiss him desperately. 

Tora grinned against her lips and gladly kissed her back with as much force, reaching blindly for the box of condoms on the table beside the bed. His fingers finally found one and he broke their kiss just long enough to rip the package open with his teeth. Poppy plucked the package from his hand and removed the condom, rolling it over him before opening her legs wider and guiding him toward her, using her hand on the back of his neck to pull him in for another kiss. He pushed into her slowly, pulling back to watch as her eyes squeezed shut and little pants escaped from her mouth. both gasping from the sensation of finally being reunited after so long. 

“Fuck.” He groaned at the sensation of them finally being reunited after so long. He pulled out slowly only to crash into her again up to the hilt while Poppy screamed as he found his rhythm.

Tora was trying the best he could to go slow for Poppy’s sake. He liked it rough, going at a breakneck pace that had made her head spin when they first had sex. With him, she was a masochist more than willing to oblige him, even if it meant she couldn’t get out of bed the next morning. But this wasn’t a fast fuck during a night in. He wanted this to feel good for her. He wouldn’t bust a nut and leave her to take care of herself. 

As it turned out, Poppy had other ideas. Her hips that rose to meet his with every thrust began to move more incessantly, urging him into a faster pace wordlessly as her heels dug into his backside to push him closer. He didn’t need to be told twice. He hooked her legs higher around his waist and began crashing into her incessantly. The cheap bed beneath them squeaked and groaned with protest from the power of Tora’s thrusts. Poppy’s hands moved from Tora’s shoulders to the slats in the headboard, trying to find something to hold onto to withstand his power. 

“Tora…Tora, don’t stop.” Poppy moaned as he continued pounding into her. “Don’t stop!” 

The wet sound of his cock slamming in and out of Poppy was like a fucking symphony to Tora after being without her for so long. He felt the low twist in his stomach and the tightening sensation at the base of his cock and knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Poppy wasn’t far off either with her moans growing louder and the way she was now clutching him like he was her only lifeline. 

“That’s it, sweetheart.” Tora grunted, biting her neck as he ground his hips into hers. “Fuck, just like that.”

Poppy almost sobbed from pleasure as she came, chanting his name like a prayer. The pain on his back where her fingernails clawed him was dulled while he continued to thrust into her as the waves of sparks arcing across her body subsided. With a roar, Tora thrust hard one final time, his hips stuttering as he came inside her. He caught himself on his forearm at the last second as he collapsed to keep from crushing Poppy with his weight. 

“I…” Poppy swallowed thickly and tried to catch her breath. 

Tora could barely think straight, but he laughed breathlessly and kissed the side of Poppy’s throat. “Cat got your tongue?”

“More like a tiger.” Poppy giggled. 

Tora rolled his eyes and lifted up once he had calmed down to get a proper look at her, frowning slightly when he saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He whispered. 

Poppy smiled up at him and shook her head. “Nothing.” She ran her fingers through his hair and learned up to kiss his forehead. “So, is this deal you struck a one-time thing, or am I going to get more calls from you for special visits?”

He rolled over onto his back with Poppy in his arms, so she was now laying on his chest. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend they were back in his shitty apartment from so many years ago, back when they were still just fooling around and he was denying whatever deeper feelings he could be having for the nerd sharing his bed. Tora never thought he would ever get something as good as a relationship, let alone a girl like Poppy, and having a family had been out of the question. This woman had changed so many things for the better, it was time he started stepping up and showing her how much she meant to him.

“Whenever you want, sweetheart.” Tora told her. She sighed happily and pressed herself closer to Tora’s body. He’d never get over that feeling. “Whenever you want.”

* * *

Reference for Poppy's dress, in case you were wondering. This is the same dress she wore to the Balthuman dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did any of you catch the reference to one of ann_jay009's fics? 😉
> 
> Thanks for reading! Until next time~


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